Australia approves 800 MW solar + 250 MW battery Punchs Creek project

Australia's government has approved the Punchs Creek Solar Farm project, an 800 MW solar-plus-storage development in Queensland that will sport a 250 MW battery energy storage system (BESS).

In its release, the Australian government said the project would generate energy to power 300,000 Queensland homes. Punchs Creek, developed by SkyLab, will be located near the city of Toowoomba in southern Queensland. The solar park will include 1.7 million solar panels and connect to a Powerlink 330kV electricity transmission line which crosses the project site. 

While the government was mum on details such as date of operation for the project, Queensland has seen an increase in the development of gigawatt-scale capacity: Enel Green Power Australia is seeking to buy a 1 GW solar and wind project, while state-owned CleanCo Queensland is seeking expressions of interest to add 3 GW of new solar and wind capacity across the state.

The state is looking to construct more than 1 GW of renewable capacity in a push to reach its goal of 22 GW renewable energy capacity by 2035. Its roadmap outlines 12 Renewable Energy Zones, of which Toowoomba is expected to receive 1.8 to 2.4 GW of renewables capacity.

Earlier this month, the state pledged to invest $300 million to double the capacity of the Stanwell battery to 300 MW/ 1,200 MWh from the original 150 MW/ 300 MWh.

In February, the state started construction work on a 250 MW/ 500 MWh battery system at the former Swanbank B coal-fired power station. The BESS component of the project is expected to be completed later this year.